Biography of David G. Behrs

David G. Behrs, Ph.D., began his tenure as the 15th president of Saint Mary-of-the-Woods College on July 1, 2007. Chosen by the College’s Board of Trustees and Members of the Corporation of the Sisters of Providence on January 20, 2007, Behrs is the first lay man to be president of SMWC and was appointed following an extensive national search that began in August 2006.

Behrs is a distinguished administrator and most recently served as both the associate provost for university initiatives and the vice president for student affairs and enrollment management at Dominican University of California. He has spent the last 25 years of his career in higher education, serving Lynchburg College, Marymount University, George Mason School of Law, and Pennsylvania State University. He is also respected as an expert in enrollment management and has authored several articles that have appeared in “The Journal of College Admissions,” “Admissions Marketing Report” and the “National Association of Graduate Admission Professionals Journal.”

Behrs holds a Ph.D. in counseling and student development from American University, a M.S. in counseling and student personnel from Shippensburg University, and a B.S. in history and social science from Elizabethtown College. Currently, he is active with the Wabash Valley Educational Alliance, Terre Haute Chamber of Commerce, Terre Haute Economic Development Corporation, Terre Haute Rotary Club and Terre Haute Symphony Orchestra Board of Directors, Vigo County Superintendent’s Advisory Council.

Behrs is an avid reader, runner and outdoorsman, and he loves to travel. A native of Binghamton, N.Y., Behrs has been married to his wife, Maureen, for 25 years, and they have two daughters, Beth, 22, and Emily, 16.